Idlewild

It is a highly stylized slice of life. As usual, reading through the comments left here, I'm finding that many just can't leave their pretense at the door. It would seem that any film with an all African-American cast set in the American south is required to beat us over the head with an idea we are all (I would hope) aware of. ie; Jim Crow sucked. Instead, this film simply portrays people with hopes and dreams, faults and virtues, capable of love and hate, good and evil. in other words, people. Not "black people". That was refreshing. (and, IMHO, a far stronger statement than one could ever make through heavy-handed symbolism) Is the film perfect? Far from it. The plot is in many ways pedestrian. The film telegraphs plot twists rather than foreshadowing them. However, are there flashes of brilliance? Good Lord yes. These are two astonishingly talented men (Andre and Big Boi) and simply as a showcase for that talent, this film succeeds. If you just sit down and let the film wash over you, you will enjoy. If you over-think, and ask it to be something it isn't, you won't. It's that simple.

Considering the fact that this was a movie starring two rappers, I wasn't expecting much. I was very pleasantly surprised. Outkast aren't just any old rappers, as their fans could no doubt inform you. Most of their material, even though much of it is anachronistic for a film set in the 1930s, nonetheless, fit the movie quite well. Some of the pieces, of course, aren't rap. Indeed, Andre 3000 might as well no longer be called a rapper, considering the breadth of his material. The plot was surprisingly well thought out. It had a certain symmetry, yet was not completely predictable. I enjoyed the whole thing, and didn't have to close my eyes thinking "this is so stupid" all through the film.

I had been excited about seeing this movie for months since seeing the trailer. I love musicals and this looked to be really promising. In some ways, it completely lived up to its expectations and in others, it failed miserably. If you are interested in the musical aspect of it, it's brilliant. The dancing is good, the characters incorporate the songs with their personal lives and these scenes are a lot of fun to watch. One of the best production numbers is at the very end. The special effects are fun to watch and the cinematography is very well done. The show gets off to a fun start and the characters look promising. Yet, as they age, something gets lost. The story line between Percival and Angel was the only one I found natural and plausible. Rooster has little interaction with his wife which makes that storyline hard to believe and Trumpy's character comes out of no where and tries, unsuccessfully, to run the show. It was interesting to see the members of Outkast in such different roles, especial Percival. The movie was entertaining and I would sit through the boring parts again any time to see how brilliant the dancing and music was.

There is a very good reason that films in general are getting significantly worse in every quality. Why? Because in our time, when a film is made that is intelligent or creative in some significant way, it is usually ripped to pieces by critics and the general audience, teaching 'Hollywood' a lesson that they take to heart all too well.

Idlewild is a first rate musical, and feast for the eyes. Like 'Running Scared (2006)', the director believes that there is no reason a movie made in the 21st century should not benefit from all the options modern film technology offers (and no, I don't mean the visual rubbish that assaults the eyes in recent Tony Scott efforts). However, the state-of-the-art methods are used strictly in the service of 'old fashioned' film entertainment values, and this seemingly 'insults' the 'too cool for school' types, for whom enjoyment seems to be the last reason to pay to see a movie.

The actors are great, the acting is fine, and the production values are top notch. The story is a little clichéd, and as a result, the writer does seem to have cut-n-pasted from various familiar sources. However, this is a very minor criticism in a film that uses music as much as the spoken word to tell a story.

While the music is (mostly) contemporary, it was written with the aim of slotting into a (fantasy) period drama, and does so beautifully. While many of the performers may seem to have a 'rap' background, if this puts you off seeing Idlewild you are seriously misjudging the creativity and range of their talent.

Some may claim the film is a little 'tame', but a much better description is 'inclusive'. In other words, Idlewild really wants to reach and impress a wide audience, and it is a great pity that this doesn't seem to have happened yet.

Idlewild is a sexy sophisticated 'feelgood' musical- a vanity project for OutKast no doubt, but also a wonderful treat for those that value todays's rarest treasure, a new movie worth making the effort to see.

By the way Idlewild is NOT 'one long music video' (and I'm hard placed to see such comments as 'innocent' given the power of this lie to put people off seeing the movie). So forget any fear of 'opera' (like Evita where everything is sung) or MTV masquerading as a film. This is a HBO production, like Deadwood or the Sopranos, and that means quality first, especially the quality of the dramatic presentation. However, although Idlewild is an 'adult' film (thank heaven- the PG13 sludge is killing me), it lacks the extreme and explicit content of many of HBO's TV productions, so may be safely viewed by more 'sensitive' types.

If you watch a lot of films, and have no greater pleasure than finding an unexpected gem, give Idlewild a go. It really is 'the one that got away'.

Here we have the most creative Hip Hop/Rap duo teaming with one of the most creative music video directors on a very good film. I can't believe people aren't seeing this movie...especially black folks. We support some of the most drab and unimaginative crap in music and film but won't support good art. (Maybe it needs more violence or ass shaking in it.)

Anyways, Idlewild has a great story, great music, and highly creative camera work and directing. The acting isn't excellent, but it does not detract from the film. I look forward to seeing more work from Mr. Barber. I wish there were more black filmmakers like him and more music artists like Outkast. Let's move forward people.